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Literary Criticism English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh

The Role of Thunder in Finnegans Wake

by (author) Eric McLuhan

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
May 1997
Category
English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442682221
    Publish Date
    May 1997
    List Price
    $77.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802009234
    Publish Date
    May 1997
    List Price
    $65.00

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Description

James Joyce's use of ten one hundred-letter words in Finnegans Wake has always been an intriguing feature of that novel. Eric McLuhan takes a new by placing the Wake in the tradition of Menippean satire, where language is used to shock and provoke. Seen in this light, Joyce's peculiar language and style become part of this Menippean tradition through his use of the linguistic 'thunderclap'.

The Role of Thunder in Finnegans Wake is the first book to examine this strangest and most prominent aspect of the language of the Wake, and explain its use in the context of classical Greek literature. Each thunderclap is a resonating logos that represents a transformation of human culture. McLuhan presents the thunders as encoding Joyce's study of ten major communications revolutions, ranging from neolithic technologies such as speech and fire, through cities, the railroad, and print, to radio, movies, and television. Seen in this fashion, Finnegans Wake is both an encyclopedia of the effects of technology in reshaping human culture and society, and a complete training course for detecting the changes in sensibility occasioned by new media.

About the author

Eric McLuhan is an author, editor, and teacher. He has worked closely with Marshall McLuhan, with whom he studied Finnegans Wake. He now lectures and writes on media and society, and edits the journal McLuhan Studies.

Eric McLuhan's profile page